Comparison

Shogi Wars vs ™ Chess

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Shogi Wars

Experience the strategic depth of Japanese chess with this app, offering fast-paced online and offline matches for all skill levels. Earn official diplomas and enjoy a realistic Shogi experience with advanced AI and customizable game modes.

Highlights
  • Online and offline Shogi matches
  • World-class AI opponent
  • Multiple time controls (10MIN, 3MIN, 10SEC)
  • Official rank system (dan/kyu)
  • Apply for official dan diplomas
  • Fancy graphics and performance
Read full description

History of the fastest and the most furious entertaining Shogi begins here! Shogi Wars, officially approved by Japan Shogi Association, is a completely new type of Shogi app with fancy performance, fantastic graphics and the world-class AI. This app defies the common wisdom that Shogi is only meant for certain experts, allowing everyone from a novice to an expert to enjoy speedy match-ups online with different time controls: 10MIN, 3MIN, and 10SEC. The app also provides offline match-ups with computers. And with the rank (dan/kyu) of Shogi Wars, players can apply for Menjo (dan diploma: from 6 dan to 5 kyu) that is also officially approved by Japan Shogi Association. So come and experience a high realistic sensation of Shogi. ■Charge free to 3 battle a day [Subscription] •Premium ¥600 - unlimited play for monthly - kishin •Super Premium ¥960 - unlimited play for monthly - kishin - analysis ticket - voice select on game - play professional shogi player - kishin Quiz •Kishin Learning ¥1200 - Unlimited use of Shogi videos and learning contents - analysis ticket ■About Subscription •Subscription automatically renews monthly. •Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. •Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal •Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. ■How to restore your status of subscription You can restore the status of subscription by logging in with your account at shogiwars. Please log in to iTunes with the same Apple ID as you purchased subscription before playing Shogi Wars. ■How to turned off auto-renewal subscription Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. https://support.apple.com/ja-jp/HT202039 ■Terms and Privacy Policy https://heroz.co.jp/privacy/ https://shogiwars.heroz.jp/wars-terms.html ■Language Japanese English ■Shogi Wars official X account @warsminamin https://x.com/warsminamin ■Inquiry https://support.heroz.jp/shogi_wars/Contact/

About

™ Chess

Engage in the timeless strategy of chess on your mobile device. Play against sophisticated AI opponents across multiple difficulty levels, or challenge friends and family. Features include an undo option, board editor, and customizable themes for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • Play against AI
  • Multiplayer matches
  • Undo feature
  • Board editor
  • Customizable themes
  • Game save/load
  • Timed games
Features
Read full description

Chess is a classic board game for quiet study, quick practice, local play, and relaxed online matches through Game Center. Play your way: - Start an online game through Game Center and play a casual no-time-limit match. - Practice against multiple AI difficulty levels. - Solve thousands of chess puzzles, including 777 newly added tactical positions. - Play local two-player games on the same device. - Save and load games when you want to continue later. - Set up custom positions with the board editor. - Customize boards, pieces, avatars, sounds, and themes. - Try timed games when you want a sharper challenge. This update also adds a seasonal football-themed board background and avatar for the 2026 world tournament season. Whether you want to train tactics, learn openings, play against AI, share a local game, or challenge another player online, Chess is built for comfortable play at your own pace.

Screenshots

Shogi Wars4 screens
™ Chess4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: ™ Chess at 10K against Shogi Wars's 135. ™ Chess also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Shogi Wars's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Shogi Wars sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.49 per month and ™ Chess sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shogi Wars holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ™ Chess has 10K ratings behind it against 135, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Shogi Wars's written reviews are positive against 37% of ™ Chess's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shogi Wars ships an update monthly, ™ Chess every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Shogi Wars versus ™ Chess: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShogi Wars™ Chess
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (135 ratings) — better4.5 (10K ratings)
Positive reviews47.6% of reviews — better37.4% of reviews
Number of ratings13510K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size428 MB112 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHEROZVM Mobile Team

Customer experience

Shogi Wars

All ratings135 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.7%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral4.8%
Negative47.6%

™ Chess

All ratings10,299 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews613 reviews
Positive37.4%
Neutral7.8%
Negative54.8%

Bugs and requests

Shogi Wars

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

™ Chess

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Illegal moves allowed by AI
  • Incorrect draw detection
  • Castling not functioning properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more difficulty settings
  • Allow under-promotion
  • Improve AI difficulty scaling
  • Reduce ads or offer paid version

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Shogi Wars

Subscriptions3
  • Premium (Subscription)2 variants$5.491 Month
  • Kishin Learning (Subscription)$7.991 Month
  • Super Premium (Subscription)2 variants$8.491 Month
One-time7
  • Kishin×1$0.99
  • Pawn toss ticket×1$2.99
  • Premium (30 days)$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Kishin×13$9.99
  • Kishin analysis ticket x 26$9.99
  • Kishin×27$19.99
  • Kishin×166$99.99
1 purchases

™ Chess

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99

Questions

Is Shogi Wars free?
Shogi Wars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ™ Chess free?
™ Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Shogi Wars or ™ Chess?
Shogi Wars is rated higher. Shogi Wars averages 4.7 out of 5 from 135 ratings, while ™ Chess averages 4.5 from 10K ratings.
Do Shogi Wars or ™ Chess have ads?
Neither Shogi Wars nor ™ Chess shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shogi Wars or ™ Chess?
Shogi Wars ships an update monthly, and ™ Chess every 4 months. Most recently, Shogi Wars was updated on September 21, 2026 and ™ Chess on September 24, 2026.

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